The Phoenix Suns battle the Orlando Magic in a game in which the Suns will once again be short-handed. What other questions will this pose for a team trying to get back to 0.500?
The saying, “I’d rather be lucky than good,” is a mantra that applies in nearly every situation. It certainly applied to the Phoenix Suns during their incredible, albeit fluky, win over the Charlotte Hornets Monday night.
But in the long run, and especially in the NBA, teams would much rather be good than lucky. The Suns have a chance to prove they are good Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, but they will be dealing with many issues.
Let’s mow through some questions going into tonight’s game:
How will the Suns match up with the Magic’s size?
While the Suns may have been lucky in their game against the Hornets, they have been extremely unlucky this entire season when it comes to player availability.
Most notably, Aron Baynes will miss his second consecutive game with a calf strain, and this is a game the Suns could really use his size.
The Magic aren’t very good, but they are big. The Suns will be without Baynes, maybe Cheick Diallo (who is questionable with an illness), and of course, Deandre Ayton (who is a case of no news is bad news).
That could once again place Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric in a position to guard the opposing team’s big men, which in this case is the likes of Aaron Gordon.
It will be tough going inside for the Suns tonight.
Will Tyler Jonson play?
Tyler Johnson was a surprising healthy scratch Monday night against the Hornets Monday night. The lefty combo guard is trudging through one of the worst seasons in his career, and it is unclear if Monday was an aberration or if Monty Williams has officially bumped him from the rotation.
Jevon Carter stepped up and played well in his place, and of course, the debut of Ty Jerome provides even more depth at the guard position.
With all the absences in the lineup, it may be on Devin Booker to score a ton of points tonight in order to beat a very beatable team. That alone may limit the minutes Johnson would have played anyway.
On top of that, Ricky Rubio is questionable with a hand injury so, if he sits out, Johnson will have no choice but to play.
It will be interesting to see how Monty Williams handles his guard rotation.
Is Frank Kaminsky’s shot fixed?
If Frank Kaminsky’s shot isn’t fixed, the Phoenix Suns hope it has at least improved. The big man, who has had his minutes increase due to lack of front court depth, has had a case of the yips the last few games with his shot, shooting just two of five from the free throw line and one of 13 from behind the arc.
It hasn’t quite reached Chuck Knoblock territory yet, considering it has only been a few games, but Kaminsky is too good of a shooter to be chucking it up the way he has been lately.
Look for him to settle down anytime now.
The Phoenix Suns are in the middle of a 4-game road stretch and after winning the first game, are in a position to get back to 0.500 on the year. Suns fans hope they are good enough to do it, despite, once again, being unlucky with player availability.